‘I couldn’t see what he saw’: Sanju Samson recalls Rohit Sharma’s advice after being dropped during WC T20

Indian cricketer Sanju Samson Sanju Samson has revealed how Rohit Sharma’s reassuring words during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup initially did not convince him after he was left out of India’s playing XI in the latter stages of the tournament. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman eventually rediscovered his confidence and responded with one of the defining knocks of India’s campaign against the West Indies.After Samson endured a disappointing five-match T20I series against New Zealand heading into the World Cup, Rohit made it clear that the Kerala batsman still has an important role to play in India’s campaign.“Dukhi mat ho bhai. It’s a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai.” (“Don’t be disheartened brother. It’s a long tournament. You’ll get your chance. An opportunity can come anytime,”) Rohit told Samson as he hugged him.

“I didn’t trust Rohit then”

Reflecting on this difficult phase, Samson admitted that he was too disappointed to believe his captain’s words at the time.“To be honest, I didn’t believe him then. Sorry. Maybe he was speaking from his soul or from his experience, but I wasn’t able to see what he saw that day. It could be seen on my face; I was a bit off that day,” Samson told JioStar.The Kerala batsman said the disappointment lingered even after India’s FIFA World Cup campaign began, making it difficult for him to move on immediately.“Our World Cup campaign started two days after the New Zealand series and it takes me at least a week to recover. I don’t like to bottle things up so it shows on my face if I’m not feeling 100 per cent. I went through that phase for four or five days before I got back on track,” he added.

“I began to rediscover myself”

Samson said the setback eventually turned into an opportunity for self-reflection that helped him reconnect with his purpose as a cricketer.“You know you’ve failed, so what? You’re at rock bottom, so you can only go up from there. I started working on myself mentally. I started asking myself why I’m playing cricket? What’s my purpose? It was like I was reinventing myself while the World Cup was going on. And then it all came back,” Samson said.

Redemption of Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson scripted one of the biggest redemption stories in T20 World Cup history, finishing as player of the tournament as India lifted the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on home soil. After initially being left out of the playing eleven following a lean run of form, Samson fought his way back into the side and ended the tournament as India’s highest run-scorer and third highest overall, amassing 321 runs in just five matches at an excellent average of 80.25 and a blistering strike rate of 199.37. He also smashed a tournament record 24 sixes, the most by any batsman in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.